History Main / BulletproofHumanShield

* ''Series/MythBusters'' once did a test to see how much tissue a bullet went through (based on myths that a very fat or very muscular man survived a gunshot). 16 Inches of fat couldn't stop a bullet, nor could 14 inches of muscle. They were using a .223 round.** The reality is a little different; 12 inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin is considered the absolute minimum for a law enforcement pistol round, simulating passing through a target's arm at an angle and still wounding the heart sufficiently to incapacitate them. This is because [[http://www.thegunzone.com/platt-shot.html Michael Platt]] survived such a shot.*** Considered the minimum by the "stopping power does not exist" [[BrokenBase faction]] of ballistics theorists, known as the Jello Junkies[[note]]"Ballistic jelly" is just commercial gelatin, like that used for desserts, prepared with a different ratio of gelatin to water.[[/note]]. Their opponents counter with examples of subdued—specifically dead—opponents with much less penetration; since they cite coroner data they're known as Morgue Monsters.** a .223 Remington, a rifle round, could easily penetrate non-plated body armor, so the results aren't surprising.

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* ''Series/MythBusters'' once did a test to see how much tissue a bullet went through (based on myths that a very fat or very muscular man survived a gunshot). 16 Inches inches of fat couldn't stop a bullet, nor could 14 inches of muscle. They were using a .223 round.Remington round, a rifle round that can easily penetrate non-plated body armor, so the results aren't surprising.** The reality is a little different; 12 inches of penetration in ballistic gelatin is considered the absolute minimum for a law enforcement pistol round, round,[[note]]At least, by the "stopping power does not exist" [[BrokenBase faction]] of ballistics theorists, known as the Jello Junkies (after ballistic jelly, basically commercial gelatin prepared with a different ratio of gelatin to water). Their opponents counter with examples of subdued — specifically dead — opponents with much less penetration; since they cite coroner data they're known as Morgue Monsters.[[/note]] simulating passing through a target's arm at an angle and still wounding the heart sufficiently to incapacitate them. This is because [[http://www.thegunzone.com/platt-shot.html Michael Platt]] survived such a shot.*** Considered the minimum by the "stopping power does not exist" [[BrokenBase faction]] of ballistics theorists, known as the Jello Junkies[[note]]"Ballistic jelly" is just commercial gelatin, like that used for desserts, prepared with a different ratio of gelatin to water.[[/note]]. Their opponents counter with examples of subdued—specifically dead—opponents with much less penetration; since they cite coroner data they're known as Morgue Monsters.** a .223 Remington, a rifle round, could easily penetrate non-plated body armor, so the results aren't surprising.shot.

*** That is actually a trope in and of itself. Any party in a prolonged war has claimed that, among them all combatants in UsefulNotes/WW1 and UsefulNotes/WW2, Forces on both sides in the American Civil war, etc.

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*** That is actually a trope in and of itself. Any party in a prolonged war has claimed that, that sort of thing, among them all combatants in UsefulNotes/WW1 [=WWI=] and UsefulNotes/WW2, Forces [=WWII=], forces on both sides in the American Civil war, etc.

* [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Granny Weatherwax]] implies doing this with an unconscious Diamanta when fleeing Fairyland in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''. She gets praised for rescuing the girl by carrying her over her shoulder, but instantly claims it was to shield herself from fairy arrows. (Since this is [[BadassGrandma Granny Weatherwax]] both interpretations are probably equally correct.)* An interestingly realistic subversion happens in a [[http://thelonelywinds.com/library.php Lonely Winds]] story: a powerful villain known as the Crown of Thorns grabs a soldier to protect herself from a volley of bullets fired by the rest of his squad. When she drops his mangled remains, it is clear that some of the bullets did indeed pass through the soldier's body and hit her -- [[OhCrap but any sense of victory the soldiers might have felt is immediately quashed when the Crown races forward to attack them, only slightly injured.]]

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* [[Literature/{{Discworld}} Granny Weatherwax]] implies doing this with an unconscious Diamanta when fleeing Fairyland in ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies''. She gets praised for rescuing the girl by carrying her over her shoulder, but instantly claims it was to shield herself from fairy arrows. (Since this is [[BadassGrandma [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Granny Weatherwax]] both interpretations are probably equally correct.)* An interestingly realistic subversion downplayed version happens in a [[http://thelonelywinds.com/library.php Lonely Winds]] story: a powerful villain known as the Crown of Thorns grabs a soldier to protect herself from a volley of bullets fired by the rest of his squad. When she drops his mangled remains, it is clear that some of the bullets did indeed pass through the soldier's body and hit her -- [[OhCrap but any sense of victory the soldiers might have felt is immediately quashed when the Crown races forward to attack them, only slightly injured.]]

* Shows up a couple times in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', done more realistically than most since most of the bullets being taken are handgun rounds fired from quite some distance across moving cars. Justified when Max uses [[spoiler: the massively obese People Eater]] as a bullet sponge because 1) there's a ''[[FatBastard lot]]'' of meat to use in his meat shield.

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* Shows up a couple times in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', done more realistically than most since most of the bullets being taken are handgun rounds fired from quite some distance across moving cars. Justified when Max uses [[spoiler: the massively obese People Eater]] as a bullet sponge because 1) there's a ''[[FatBastard lot]]'' of meat to use in his meat shield.

* Shows up a couple times in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', done more realistically than most since most of the bullets being taken are handgun rounds fired from quite some distance across moving cars. Justified when Max uses [[spoiler: the massively obese People Eater]] as a bullet sponge because 1) there's a ''[[FatBastard lot]]'' of meat to use in his meat shield and 2) his body doesn't retain intact like examples of the tope, the bullets pretty much turn [[ChunkySalsaRule the victim's head into chunks.]]

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* Shows up a couple times in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', done more realistically than most since most of the bullets being taken are handgun rounds fired from quite some distance across moving cars. Justified when Max uses [[spoiler: the massively obese People Eater]] as a bullet sponge because 1) there's a ''[[FatBastard lot]]'' of meat to use in his meat shield and 2) his body doesn't retain intact like examples of the tope, the bullets pretty much turn [[ChunkySalsaRule the victim's head into chunks.]]shield.

* Shows up a couple times in ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'', done more realistically than most since most of the bullets being taken are handgun rounds fired from quite some distance across moving cars. Justified when Max uses [[spoiler: the massively obese People Eater]] as a bullet sponge because 1) there's a ''[[FatBastard lot]]'' of meat to use in his meat shield and 2) his body doesn't retain intact like examples of the tope, the bullets pretty much turn [[ChunkySalsaRule the victim's head into chunks.]]

* Averted in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. The whole reason Seras becomes a vampire is an EmergencyTransformation because Alucard shoots through her in order to kill the vampire priest using her as a shield.

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* Averted in ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}''. The whole reason Seras becomes a vampire is an EmergencyTransformation because Alucard shoots through her with his HandCannon in order to kill the vampire priest using her as a shield.

* Subverted in ''Film/TheHitmansBodyguard'' when Kincaid faces off against some {{Mook}}s and tries to use one of them as meatshield. The other bad guy's bullets go straight through the body, but Kincaid remains unharmed even so because he had also jammed a metal tray between himself and his shield, which is enough to absorb the remaining kinetic energy.

* The ''Franchise/MetalGear'' games use both this trope and HumanShield, depending on who you capture. In ''Portable Ops'' and 3, attempting to shield yourself with a higher-ranking officer would cause enemies to hesitate, while shielding yourself with a scientist does ''nothing'' and they'll still shoot you freely.

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* The ''Franchise/MetalGear'' ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' games use both this trope and HumanShield, depending on who you capture. In ''Portable Ops'' and 3, attempting to shield yourself with a higher-ranking officer would cause enemies to hesitate, while shielding yourself with a scientist does ''nothing'' and they'll still shoot you freely.

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